On November 9th a taekwondo athlete and social media star was detained in Iran after training without wearing the compulsory hijab.
Hanieh Shariati Roudposhti, a martial arts coach and gymnastics instructor, was captured by Iranian security forces in Tehran on Sunday night after performing in the street and posting videos of herself on social media without a headscarf.
Videos of her previous online stunts show her back flipping joyously, performing taekwondo kicks and balancing on gym equipment- all without a headscarf.
The high level athlete usually wears tight leggings and oversized t-shirts with her long hair flowing, as seen in her videos.
The Norway-based Hengaw Organisation for Human Rights revealed authorities took Roudposhti to an undisclosed location and that her whereabouts remained unknown for more than 24 hours.
Shariati Roudposhti then made a desperate call to her panicked family and begged for help, one source added.
Her family had no idea if she was alive or dead during her detention.
Since Roudposhti’s arrest, her social media accounts – including an Instagram page with around 160,000 followers – have been taken over by security officials and later disabled, displaying a message linked to Iran’s cyber police.
A source close to her family reported that the arrest was justified as ‘failing to observe public dress codes during a public performance.’
On Tuesday, the athlete was reportedly temporarily released, according to sources who spoke to Iran International.
Roudposhti appeared in a video on Instagram on Tuesday wearing a hijab, telling viewers she had been home since Monday and that several of her social media posts had been deemed ‘inappropriate’ by judicial authorities.
The caption reads: “Thank you to all my dear who made me happy. I’ve been home since yesterday and replied to your messages as much as I can. You have my heart.”
Sources said that her release came with tight restrictions imposed by Iranian security agencies.
One source revealed that agents filmed her after her release and instructed her to remain at home and not return to work. The source added that the video was released to ‘counter media coverage and create the impression that she had not been arrested.’
Messages of support from her fans urge her to stay strong and express worry for her ordeal.
“Salute to your honour, zeal and bravery, my beautiful daughter and hero of my land,” one user wrote.
Another said: “All the athletes of Iran are behind you, continue your work with strength.”
“We both saw the page you read and the shadow of the gun. The day will come when you will set fire to their hell,” another fan wrote.
In recent weeks, senior Iranian officials have repeated calls for stricter enforcement of hijab laws.
Iran’s Prosecutor-General Mohammed Movahedi-Azad said on Monday that observing Islamic dress codes was a religious duty that prosecutors were obliged to act firmly against non-compliance.
Earlier this month, the provincial judiciary chief of Esfahan, a city in central Iran, also urged legal action against what he described as ‘immodest public behaviour’.
It comes as Iranians slam supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s close aide after leaked videos show his daughter wearing a revealing wedding dress.
The leaked footage showed the top adviser to Iran‘s leader strolling down the aisle alongside his daughter who wore a white strapless dress with a low neckline.
The clip has sparked fury in Iran – a country where mandatory hijab and modesty rules have been violently imposed for decades.
